Nashville couple tracks down stolen car before police

After realizing their vehicle had been stolen, a Nashville couple took action and tracked down the car even before police got involved.

Their story comes just days after police say someone killed a Bellevue man while chasing after people breaking into cars.

Samantha and Kevin Jackson are still new to their home in the Nations, and received a rude awakening Tuesday morning when they realized their white Jeep was missing from the driveway behind their home.

"You just always hear that happening to someone else,” Kevin said.

Kevin admitted the car had been unlocked that night.

After filing a police report, the Jacksons got to work right away by talking to nearby neighbors and businesses and posting their story on the Next Door app.

"We were kind of like, well, let's go canvas the neighborhood, see if anybody has any cameras on the alley, see if anybody has any cameras on their house,” Kevin said. “Maybe we could find out where the car went, what direction, maybe what roads."

That same afternoon, a neighbor posted back on Next Door, saying she believed the Jackson’s car was parked in an alleyway just a few blocks from their house.

After confirming the car was theirs, they called police while keeping an eye out from a distance.

When the suspect got into the car and started it, an undercover officer was there to arrest him.

The suspect has been identified by police as Dustin Willeby.

"We felt like all the work that we had done all day, and all the work that the community and our friends did to help us out actually made a difference, and it just went to show that people, when working together can actually accomplish something,” Kevin said.

Close friend and neighbor Sam Grayson helped the Jacksons search for their vehicle.

"Because the police have a lot going on, and they can't spend the entire day looking for a car that may not come back."

This comes just days after police say a Bellevue man was shot and killed while chasing people who were breaking into cars outside of his home.

"We knew about the situation in Bellevue,” Kevin said. “We obviously didn't want to do anything that was going to put us at risk because, at the end of the day, it is just a car. Cars can be replaced."

Tonight, the Jacksons say they’re thankful for a partnership between police and the community.